The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com – Home of The Domain King®

Morning Folks!!

As you are aware of when it comes to the iPhone and the iPad I am the #1 fan in the universe. I have written about it extensively. I have explained how these 2 products would allow Apple to increase their market share via the backdoor.

Someday they will write about this TROJAN HORSE in history books. It will be the greatest business comeback of all time. A company on the verge, fighting back to become #1.

But #1 is the START of the journey. They have done all this just growing from 6% to almost 10% in just 4 years. What the hell is the other 40%-90% going to look like. If they have more money that the US Government TODAY, what do they look like when they are 5X as big and 500X more powerful?

That lead me to the gift I saw and decided to buy for every attendee. It’s a small thing that can pay really big dividends. It may help you harness some of what is within you and me. That missing link between a domain name and a business.

Most laugh and say I have no sites and don’t know how to make money on the net other than domain names. But that would not be accurate. For example TargetedTraffic.com alone has taken in many millions of dollars over the years. Without certain tools it would have been hard to make even $1. So I have a “Tool” for you to FOCUS on. Let’s compare it to a HOOK if you were fishing. I have your HOOK, but YOU need to provide the BAIT. Got that? You will. So I have a HOOK for you. A valuable item made by Apple.

Howard said that not everyone has an iphone or ipad. I said that is their misfortune and after 4 YEARS they need to get with the program. So far EVERYONE has thanked me after they got the iPhone and or iPad. It changes your life. But if you have a hook and no bait I can see why you would be frustrated and not understand what I am talking about.

Even my own brother finally broke down and bought an iphone. My brother has been about 5 generations behind since like 1990. He always bought some off brand GARBAGE cell phone that would never work. So after 20 years of me saying “Tin can 1 to Tin Can 2” as I would 'Poke' him for doing that AGAIN, even he had to admit how good it was.

So I have a gift. Not a perk, not a giveaway, not some bullshit with a logo. A true gift that will fit in your suitcase and will hopefully change your life that I especially bought for YOU. I am still trying to figure out which bait to put on this hook. It something I BELIEVE can pay off very big. Maybe not. But it is so freaking COOL I had to get one for everyone! I have had it on my desk since August. I open it up and look at it EVERY single day.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

It never gives me pleasure to tell somebody they have a domain that might be worthless. I don’t try and discourage folks even when they ask. My job is not to burst their balloon.

But in general let me state for the record that 75% of portfolios I have looked at do not have a single domain of value. I mean NONE!! If I tell that person he will get angry and lord knows I don’t need another enemy. So let me talk to the general audience. The 75%,

How do you know your domains may be worthless? Well first of all you are not making any money and the bills are piling up. That may be your first clue.

If you have 10,000 names at a cost of $80,000 a year and you make no money…..just dump every last one of them and start again. You have an $80,000 budget from day #1. You can leverage that $80,000 and buy a few GREAT domains with a simple formula. With a down stroke and payments. Many domainers are open to these type deals.

Point is WHY keep chasing failure?? Gather what you have learned and parlay that into a new start. 1 great domain is infinitely better than all the Pigeon Shit in the world. It’s simple and so few get it and even fewer do it.

The trail has been blazed. The path is there. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Just get ONE great domain and you will be on the RIGHT path and never have to look back or over your shoulder.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. to introduce 'A Second Bite'

We have a new idea we hope to formally introduce in the days ahead.

Financing domains is nothing new. But how many domains don't make the reserve even though the desire to buy it is there? What if you could buy a $100,000 reserve domain on the fly and finance 75% @ a 10% interest rate? Guaranteed?

With that in mind and the bidding in the actual live auction has not made the reserve, the owner can opt in for 'A Second Bite'. In this scenario after the initial bidding is done and reserve is not met, the reserve is revealed and any bidder in the audience can bid and buy that domain with just 25% down and up to 3 years to pay the domain off. More details about this will be released soon.

This is why it will and does work. If most folks go to buy a $50,000 car and they had to pay cash, the car dealers would sell very few cars. Financing allows them to buy that car for a few thousand out of pocket and that is what makes the entire industry work.

Many times there are domains that I could earmark a few grand a month to get over a period of time. It leverges your cash without so much risk. A $100,000 domain can be bought for $25,000 down and around $2500/month for 3 years. That equates to RENT in the real world. It is manageable. It opens high ticket domains to a wider audience. For the domain owner, it means immediate cash and then steady cash flow. A win-win.

So we will be happy to offer this to all sellers of domains once we work out all the details. It is an opt in only by the domain seller. So nothing forced. Just a 'Second Bite' while the audience is there and in a buying mood.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Google is literally on the hot seat in Washington D.C. and one of those that might have put them there is Scott Cleland the author of the book 'Search and Destroy' Why you can't Trust Google Inc. and contributor to Forbes.com.

Eight Congressional subcommittees have sought Cleland’s expert testimony and Institutional Investor twice ranked him the #1 independent telecom analyst in the U.S. when he was working for institutional investors.

I first learned about Scott in his two most recent articles over at Forbes.com. When I read Mike Berkens piece on Sunday, I KNEW I MUST have Mr. Cleland at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.

Via LinkedIn I reached out to Scott Leland yesterday. This morning he contacted me back and by 1PM he was our latest speaking addition to T.R.A.F.F.I.C.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

PS: Have you heard about the new TRAFFIC APP for iPhone and Android? FREE to all attendees at TRAFFIC. $250/annual subscription for everyone else. To be unveiled at 9:45AM Monday October 17th.

Morning Folks!!

There is FEAR in the domain Industry. That is the only word that can describe what I see. But it is unfounded fear the way I view the universe. Fear created by others because they WANT what you have.

Fear of a “Shadow” that can never duplicate a phenomenon even though they will try. They still talk about the Hula-Hoop. That was SIXTY years ago and they are stil looking for the second coming. Problem is the second coming did not look like a hula-hoop. It looked like a ”Pet Rock”.

For the last 2 years I have said during this economic turmoil that Ron Jackson would get on stage at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and report a record setting year of domain sales. I have been WRONG both times. But I believe in just 3 weeks I am finally about to be right. My timing was off, but the event unfolded as seen. Record setting domain sales in a tough environment.

Quite interesting to see fortune 500 companies buying WAVES of domain names just at a time where so many domainers are giving up. Are you folks CRAZY??

Pete Rose was great because he ever gave up. And by never giving up he squeezed another 10% out of himself each and every time. That 10% extra effort would result in a 50% success rate. Point is MOST give up just before the finish line. Too bad for them. They had victory within their reach and FEAR of failure made them give in. Passion lost out to fear. Persistence lost out to fear. The ONLY thing to fear is not giving it 110% each and every time. That is the only failure to fear.

How do you describe something not visible to the naked eye? An event about to unfold? Some see ghosts and I see opportunity. Some see shadows and get driven by fear.

Some are worried about the new gTLD’s. I still only see opportunity. Whatever downside that can happen is nothing more than the tide coming in and going out. Inhaling and exhaling. I just see much more upside than downside.

But, that is what makes a “Market”. That is why they have 57 flavors of ice cream. That is why markets go up and down. As businesses you job is not only to “Whither” the storm, but it is to “Thrive” during the storm or directly after the storm.

Don’t believe how things will unfold? Tell me that in 4 years from today. Can you survive for another 4 years? Steady as she goes. Fear makes bargains. There are bargains out there. There are deals out there. There are terms out there because there is more “Circumstance” out there than in most of our lifetimes.

Point is it is times like THIS that fortunes are made. The worst times provide the largest opportunity. My suggestion to those core domainers is to be in a strong cash position so you can buy FEAR! So you buy the unknown at a deep discount. Fear is driving the market when really nothing has changed. The power of your knowledge will more than offet anything the future can throw at you. These are the best of times because there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

The multitude of problems are very deep and multi dimensional. In other words....it's a mess and I will show you why at each and every point. Then you will see that I have a solution that DOVETAILS with each problem. That is the key to all this. It's a recipe. It used to be a SIMPLE recipe and it did well. The recipe got bastardized over time. That's when you must go back to basics first and rebuld.

Here is how 'I' see this and then folks will see each one has been addressed. And if you think I missed something, wonderful. Let me know. Some things you can do all at once, some things take time. Restoring credibility to a broken system takes time. But there will be no doubt about the result after the show. This is about being SERIOUS about a problem and that is what builds confidence.

Folks can talk about one element or another however I am in a unique position to tackle nearly all of them as 'I' see it and actually do something about it and do it in front of everyone because I am going to TRY and explain it each step of the way. I may need to do a video. lol. But this is about as transparent as business allows. These are just the problems I have identified for this blog post. These are some of the biggies. There are several not on this list.

Morning Folks!!

There has been a lot if discussion on the blogs about our new auction rules and process and that is a good thing. I hope to paint a picture so folks know what we are doing and why we are doing it.

http://www.thedomains.com/2011/08/29/no-online-bidding-from-live-domain-auction-at-the-traffic-conference/

http://domainshane.com/brilliant-move-by-traffic-if-the-online-bidding-doesnt-work-drop-it/#comments

Howard and I have certain obligations when we organize an event like T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Our obligation are as follows when we talk about the show and the auction and when you look at it the way we MUST look at it you will understand WHY we do what we do.

Our FIRST concern and obligation is to the Attendees. We can't cater to folks NOT at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. at the expense of those that are at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. That is our foundation and nothing can supersede that. Nothing!

So when you start there and realize those folks in attendance are the ONLY ones we have to answer to, no auction or event can violate that.

Attendees are the ones who MUST be satisfied. PERIOD. That part is not debatable. And when you understand that part, the rest falls in place.

The SECOND group we are accountable to are the ones that have paid the fee to have a guaranteed placement in the auction. Having the crashes as we have seen them over the past year does not help them. The Internet slows the action because the bids are slow to post if at all. So we just go back to basics. I think they used the phone for the past 100 years. If your calculator battery goes out you still have to know how to do the math.

It’s not an issue with any of those folks. They understand what I am trying to accomplish. They are not close-minded. That is why they did what they did to begin with and I have no issue if any of those want to pull out. No issue whatsoever. But they have not and that means they “Get it” and now even more are being submitted!

It is pretty simple. We have phone lines and make sure those on the phone realize that they are there to bid or not bid. If they are not bidding, then that call is terminated. Most of the bidding won't even reach the guy on the phone because the action INSIDE the room will be fast paced. So the 10-second rule does not even come into play until the end of the process. At that point there are 2 or 3 bidders. There are NEVER 10. So of the 2 or 3 bidders at that point....shit or get off the pot. Bid or get off the phone. Why should 350 people in the room wait for one guy making up his mind on the phone?? THAT is ridiculous and THAT is exactly what has been happening as everyone WAITS for the Internet to bid or lock up or get a connection or whatever.

The THIRD group we have to satisfy is the seller. We do that by opening up the process like never before and this is the second time we have done it. It's a pretty simple pitch to them. We have the single best qualified audience in domaining and if your prices are domainer to domainer prices, you will do quite well. If you are looking to sell to the end user prices. Bring the end users to bid. Don’t know the difference between a domain priced for a domainer to buy and an end user price?? Well I sure do! And so does every domainer there.

The FOURTH group is the phone/internet bidder. We are doing them a service by allowing remote bidding. We have no obligation to them other than to take their bids and complete the transaction if they win. I have already stated that we are seriously considering identifying remote bidders so folks in the room know who they are bidding against. Especially if they are a domainer. I could see how a TRUE end user would want to be under the radar. So we are weighing the pros and cons. The folks in the room WANT to know who they are bidding against. So I revert to concern #1.

We are not begging for domains. We have ample inventory at this moment. But we want the BEST names and THAT my friends is what will drive all this. Want a prime .XXX domain?? There may be 7 figures in sales just off those domains.

Want an underpriced domain with a 7 figure future value? There is such a domain in the auction and I have slapped my hand not to buy it before the auction. But I know where the line is and I respect it. So it will go on the block and if you can figure it out. Then you are seeing the future.

Great domains at great prices. We can't control it all. We allowed those that believe in their domain to place them. This has NEVER happened before. But domainers are taking control of their own destiny. Nearly 2 dozen so far!!

We want to have a great auction, but we don't have to sell our souls to do it. We can set a standard and we can set the rules. When folks feel comfortable that they are not being 'Played' they bid with more confidence. So simple!

That is why we won’t insult our audience with starting bids wildly above their value. Each domain will start at $1, $1000, $5000, or $10,0000.

We won’t be starting it at $500,000 and looking for a sucker working down until somebody bids $25,000 and then works up to $40,000 on a domain with a $150,000 reserve that has a value of $50,000. It may be the “Way it is done” but that way really sucks and does not work for OUR audience in THIS industry.

So far the majority of ones not liking this are anonymous folks that are ghosts to us. That brings me to the last point. Since there is phone bidding…ANY and ALL phone bidders MUST pre-register and pre-qualify with a credit card at least 5 days before the show. They will not be allowed to sit on the phone for every auction. They can participate in up to 15 total auctions unless we personally know them and are qualified beyond reproach.

You can’t do the same thing and expect a different result. We have seen the same thing and we have seen the results. So we believe these changes will reinvigorate the process. The PROOF will be a 7 figure auction at a time that things are very bumpy.

So on record, for the record, before the record happens. Most of you get it and I appreciate that you have been so supportive as we try and update the process and produce a result we can all be proud of.

This is the first time that Howard and I are actually controlling the action and setting the rules. I have been in the audience for some 20 auctions and it is clear to me what needs to be done to make things happen and bring the excitement back INTO THE ROOM!!

We will have contracts on no more than 150 domains. We will have no silent auction before, after or during. We will be tying up ONLY those domains. We have no motive or reason to tie up 150,000 domains. Our ONLY job is to find the best domains from those domains submitted at the most reasonable prices. Bidding that will EXCEED the reserves because they were priced right to begin with. Because they were valuable and they were bargains. Because our audience is unparalleled when it comes to quality.

My ONLY obligation is the folks that are there. How do you argue with what is obvious? That means most of the 350 there will agree and the thousands not there will be split. Some with their own motives and agenda as we are a THREAT to them! But they should not look at it like that. We are just paving a new path that they themselves may likely follow.

As for sponsors. Our job is to get the right audience to the show and showcase their companies the best we can. Support them the best we can. Help them grow their business by putting them together with the heart of the industry.

I hope this helps folks understand. Those that don’t….all I can say is wait before you judge. In my world there is RESULTS and everything else. These changes will produce results! If that threatens you, so be it! But it isn’t meant to threaten anyone. It is simply to fix something stale, outdated and no longer working from the folks that brought it to you when it was working.

You can find the “Pay to Play” info here:

http://www.targetedtraffic.com/program/the.auction.php

We are only accepting domains now that are $50,000 or more. Like I said, we know our audience.

As accepted they will be posted here. Just scroll down to 4PM:

http://www.targetedtraffic.com/program/101811.php?day=18

I won't apologize if we fail. I will only apologize for not trying something new and different when something is already broken and no longer working. But you will be seeing a GREAT success! This is not a recipe for failure. This is a recipe for success and THAT success has some worrried and others thrilled. That's the reality.

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. MEANS B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S.

Rick Schwartz
CEO & Co-founder T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
http://www.TargetedTraffic.com

Morning Folks!!

The written word is still the most powerful medium after all these years. But sometimes the written word can be interprerted in different ways. Wrong ways. Sometimes the true meaning is either lost or not evident as the infliction may not come through. The reason I use caps. Those are the points I want to stress but it is harder on paper sometimes than in person. Have 98 minutes to waste?

This was my most in-depth interview ever. It covers quite a bit before the Internet and how it led me here. I have been considering replacing RicksBlog.com with Rick.tv next year. (Thanks J!) What do you think? Is there a difference between the meaning of the written word as opposed to the spoken word? I can only reach as many willing minds as I can. After that, just not my problem dude. But let's turn every stone and I would say this is the last stone to try and reach the unreachable. So if you have time to waste, or invest, depending on your mindset, here ya go. This is everything I have and has been well receieved. Thank you!

http://www.domainsherpa.com/rick-schwartz-domainking-interview/

Transcript of Interview

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I think most of history was based on limitations. What you could not do. What you were not allowed to do, dream or think. That changed over time for some when many questioned the limits and decided to define new limits or break the limits completely. That is called the freedom of “Positive thinking”.

That thinking process allows you to visualize and taste success or anything for that matter without actually doing it yet. . Rely on yourself for that success. Based on whether you had the true fire in the belly for that success. That seems to have given way to an entirely different type of thinking. The “Entitlement think”.

Entitlement think is very dangerous and then of course you become dependent on others to take care of you where you are lacking. Everyone pays the price for that.

Forget about it in the political sense of entitlement. I see it right here in the domain industry. 500 real domainers and thousand and thousands that think they are entitled to the success those 500 enjoy but that they never even worked for. Never struggled to get. Never took the risk. Never had the faith. Never did what is needed to join the 500 who would happily welcome them to the group and even write a blog post to lend a helping hand.

Problem is those that I am talking to are shaking their head while the 500 that get it are nodding their heads. The 2 groups look at the world from an opposite viewpoint. The thousands have to explain and excuse and are so busy doing those antics that they refuse to take the time to listen to the 500 and how they see it.

Those 500 see things that the naked eye can’t. Like opportunity or just reading between the lines without distorting the message to fit their own agenda.

Timing is everything but you can come into THIS industry at ANY time and make your fortune IF you start to think and see things like the 500 do. The 500 are not some super geniuses. They just have a vision and follow thru each and EVERY time.

No other business on this planet has more opportunity than what we are doing. If success is eluding you, then it is obvious that you are doing something wrong. I have spent over a decade trying to explain what constitutes a good domain. A domain with value. It has less NOW to do with the extension and more to do with what the domain means. Meaningless domains are worthless until you find somebody that is more clueless.

My only goal is to expand the 500 into 5000. Your success won’t change my success. Is not a threat to any of the 500. We for the most part, don’t look at life that way. We give back. We want to guide and help. Plenty of room for everyone.

Mike Berkens discusses what CRAP “Domainers” bought during the opening of .CO when they could have had anything. Because they don’t understand what makes a domain have value, they pick Pigeon Shit when there is a FEAST of Great domains available. They are stuck . That is why 10 great domains make you a domainer and 1000 domains that mean nothing and nobody wants makes you a pigeon shit farmer.

So once again I am taking my time to point out how to change that dynamic. Most of you folks are much smarter than me. Have a better education than me. Are younger and more energetic than me. Have longer to look into the future than me. But until you understand noun’s, verbs and adjectives and how those elements are the FOUNDATION of domaining, and then match it with the size of the audience and the buying power that audience has, you will be without a compass, direction or a destination. You will wallow in frustration and anger and fear. That's called a 'Bad Attitude'. Most grow out of it. Some are stuck for their entire lifetimes. EVERYONE has the choice. EVERYONE!

You my friends are entitled to NOTHING! But you have the POWER to do, to be, to achieve, anything you want. If things are failing, just STOP. Stop and regroup and look at it differently. Lashing out frustration NOW, proves you don’t have the power to change even when you really do.

So hate me for telling you the hard truth. Hate me for being right. Hate me for 100 reasons. But don’t anyone hate me for THEIR own shortcomings, failures and other obvious thoughts of entitlement. This is business and nobody gives a rat’s ass.

Success in domaining has little to do with domaining and everything to do with the thinking process and understanding how different groups think. It has more to do with attitude and direction. Domains are the vehicle. Shoes are the vehicle. Any commodity service or idea is the vehicle. It should take you only a few days to learn about the vehicle. A few MONTHS at most.

But it takes a lifetime to learn that you ain’t entitled to anything but air. The rest is solely up to each and every individual. Some never learn that. Maybe they just don’t know because they just can’t see it. Education is WORTHLESS without that element. Without a positive attitude all the knowledge in the world won't overcome some of the simplest obstacles in life.

So they live life on false hope with no foundation of success. Walking EAST to find the SUNSET!! Ain’t EVER gonna happen my friend. But a SIMPLE adjustment changes the dynamics of everything in life. But until they STOP and take the time to turnaround, their destiny is decided and that single element controls them forever. Not me, not you, not Santa Claus.

I bet I have written similar posts to this 10-15 times over the years. The ones that can benefit the most, are the ones that get those with a bad attitude angered the most. Go figure. In my pea brain I figure if I reach one mind, it was worth my time. If not, it just reinforces what I already know and what the 500 already know.

This is not unique to domaining. In every single sector you will find those 500 and you will find those that have not made it. But in EVERY case, in every industry, in every sector, the mindset is what determines success. The 500 would likely find success with many vehicles. That is why a successful CEO in one business can go into any other business and can have a very good chance of repeating that success. He may know nothing about the product. He can learn about the product. But you can’t learn a good attitude. If you stuck yourself with a bad attitude you wlll carry that undeveloped mindset for a lifetime like it was your best friend even tho the 500 can clearly see it is your worst enemy. Attitude is everything. Sooner we learn that, the better life we have.

Some take things personally when I talk in generalities. I mention no names. Just a way of thinking and that sets off the folks that can benefit the most. The 500 are never threatened by debate. They learn from it. The others, they just do what they do and repeat hardship and failure for them and their families and blame me or whoever is convenient at the time but NEVER look at themselves. How sad in this day and age where in a recession we still have more opportunity than ANY POINT in history!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I would not like to be Rob Hall today. This was going to be a comment over at TheDomains.com but decided it was worthy of a stand alone post.

After reading the comments, Why is everyone so positive on something (either way) that there is no way to know how it will unfold?

“So why wouldn’t you sell your generic .com’s and use the money to fund new gTLD’s”

Let me remind Rob Hall that 'dotcom' is the single most used word in the world today. Unless somebody develops something new and better and more useful, that will likely not change in most of our lifetimes. And where did he make the leap that you would have to SELL your dotcoms to fund a new gTLD?? What the hell does one have to do with the other? His logic is flawed in this respect. However he does make a good point as he asks Mike about Stuff.com but agan LOGIC is missing as I will explain.

“So would you rather own Stuff.com or .Stuff for $185K?

“If you owned the TLD don’t you think you could sell 10,000 registrations a year at $10 or make $100K a year.”

Maybe you would sell 50,000 registrations a year and now make $500,000 a year and that would be an annuity in perpetuity.

“So why wouldn’t you sell your generic .com’s and use the money to fund new gTLD’s”

This is a different mindset because it is not as a 'Domain Investment' it is as a business venture. But he fails to ask the next LOGICAL question. Would .stuff want stuff.com? And the answer is you bet your sweet ass they want and NEED the domain. But it does not matter if Mike sells Stuff.com and you can ask the folks at Anything.com who has XXX.com. Worth less???? Are you in your right mind? Worth less???

That said it does not mean there won't be 'Opportunity'. But don't confuse opportunist with opportunity. There may be plenty of both. So while I don't agree with Rob Hall on domainers selling their dotcoms, there are other things he says that may have some validity. So let's pick it apart a bit without the knee jerk and emotional reaction. Maybe a few FACTS.
Opportunity comes in many forms and lots of people make millions on failures.
Relying on the domain investor community to buy into 1000 different extensions is not going to happen. However it will draw those that missed the last domain rush into wasting most of their money on something that won't be a success for 20 years if ever. Most will fail out of the gate on their own weight and lack of knowledge.

It's all about the advertising and who does that advertising. CNN branded 'Dotcom'. As I can remember, they were the first. All day, All night, when it meant nothing to 99% of folks. So without that type of distribution, it is going to be a very uphill battle for 99% of all new extensions.

Wishful thinking won't work on either side. Hard facts and how it unfolds will.
Humans are very adaptable when they see a direct benefit to themselves. So never say never. But also realize how long it takes to change a foundation. You have to eat TODAY. Some of these new 'Roads' may not be traveled in our lifetime. They are building interstates but if they go nowhere and lead to nothing it won't matter.

The bottom line is it always comes down to the idea. We will never run out of domains, but we sometimes run out of ideas that just don't copy what already is.
The internet is like LIFE and will and has become destination based.

As a consumer I could care less about the extension. I just want what I need and want. Problem is when the average person tells others, the confusion with dotcom is HUGE!

For example. There is a big thing going on about being 'Topless' for women. So they have a site at 'GoTopless.ORG. Would you like to know how much traffic the .ORG is LEAKING?? Right now to the tune of 2000 visitors a DAY as I own GoTopless.COM.
Now I like .org. I believe it is the #2 extension and have stated that for about a decade now. BUT, folks MUST deal with this issue or they are FOOLS. Period. How do you ignore that??
Now if you ran a business and you lost 2000 customers a day having something other than .COM maybe an intelligent businessman would figure out it is costing them a lot of lost business. And if I were their competitor, I would be eating their lunch and owning THEIR customers. That leak can sink a ship. A person could make a living off a 'Leak'. Can make a FORTUNE off a LEAK.
So get .whatever and the dotcom version goes up 10 fold or 100 fold by ACCIDENT! I just proved it. The dot com owner is YOUR MASTER! Want to be freed of your MASTER?? That takes $$$$$$ to buy the dot com.

ANYONE that thinks a company can get a .whatever and not have the dot com and not lose is just closing their eyes to PROOF! If a guy on Madison Ave gets a .whatever for his client without the .com, he screwed over his client BIG TIME! PERIOD!

But with all that said, there will be BILLIONS of dollars thrown at .whatever and that alone is something that should give everyone reading this a little pause. Not just a knee jerk reaction. Just remember those BILLIONS will ALL need the dotcom counerpart.

I am THRILLED that most in mainstream will disagree with me. Most are looking for the second coming and 1 or 2 out of 1000 just might happen. THEIR success is OUR success. Not the other way around.

Be Loyal to what you believe and what matters. This will bring a tear or more to your eyes and make you pause for just a moment. Nothing to do with domains, everything to do with life.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz